The LIFE-Elia-RTE team was invited by their colleagues of Autrian Power Grid (APG) for a 4-days journey accross austrian plains and montains.
We started in Wien on 17 of May 2016 and finished in Baldramsdorf on 20th. During 4 days, we learned, observed and discussed the various management issues developped by APG.
A summarized diary is presented below with an interactive map, pictures and few comments.
## OGR data source with driver: ESRI Shapefile
## Source: "/home/jf/R/APG", layer: "Itinerary"
## with 4 features
## It has 2 fields
## [1] "#4C00FF" "#00E5FF" "#00FF4D" "#FFFF00"
Green socks on the basement of towers
Agreement between farmer (owner), small wild game hunters and APG to let the vegetation growing naturally. Hunters are responsible to cut the vegetation if it is growing too much (e.g. they should keep the access for APG to climb up the tower)
Donau-Auen National Park
Platforms were installed on tower to allow Osprey and saker falcon for nestling. Because it is a National Park, trees cannot be cut, therefore trees that threaten the power line are ringed or beheaded, leaving a lot of standing dead wood.
Nestboxes for saker falcon
130 nestboxes were installed on towers. Nowadays, 33 of them are occupied.
Observation tower of the Great Bustard LIFE project
An observation tower was built during a LIFE project in which APG was taking part.
Transformator station
One among 5 sites in Austria that are managed with allowing a specific vegetation to grow on gravels under the electric equipment. A 50-cm layer of gravels is covering the natural soil, on witch seeds of about 90 species of plants of local pannonian origin were sown (25 of them are rares species belonging to the national Red List!). Resluts are very satisfactory when species such as the tiny Arenaria serpyllifolia, Arabis hirsuta, 2 species of Cerastium, Silene nutans, Alyssum alyssoides, Festuca stricta and F. rubicola, Pimpinella saxifraga … and many others are installed and do not need to be cut. At the beginning, it was necessary to get rid systematically of taller species such as Echium vulgare, Salsola cali or Conyza canadensis. The station is also visited by the Hamster and the Souslik. Additionnally a very rare specie of spider (Lycosa singoriensis) was found in the site by Ferdinand.
Trees planted under the power line
This line was built up between 1995 and 1997. APG funded a private owner to plant allowed tree species along ca. 1.5 km. APG patrollers visually check the dangerousnes ofthe vegetation by foot, by climbing up the towers. When trees should be cut, the patroller has to inform the owner 2 years before it would become a real threaten. After cutting problematic trees, the owner is planting new saplings.
Grassland rehabilitation
Here there is a demand for grasslands by organic farmers, so APG has the right to cut trees. It is important to implement a suitable managent afterward to develop species-rich grasslands that host a lot of rare species.
Selective cutting by the owner uner the line to keep not threatening tree species
The owner is hunter, therefore he is interested in keeping the area open as shooting line. He is mowing the area each 5-6 years and collects the harvested hay. This agreement for management started in 1997.
Deconstruction of tower by helicopter
During the process of increasing the power of an existing line, cables, towers and warning balls are replaced. The team could observe each steps of taking into parts and taking away one tower of the line.
Visit of marsh Trabesinger moor
This wet habitat host some rare species of plants such as 3 species of Drosera, a very nice population of Primula farinosa and many more plant species. APG agreed with local people for a new management plan which consists in selectievely cutting trees to manage properly this valuable habitat.
Panorama on the Pyramidenkögel
It is hard to describe the sight and the feelings that you can get from the top of the Pyramidenkögel. It is just a place to visit at least once in your life!
Nestboxes for hoopoe and results of a close former LIFE project Gail
An ornithologist explains that 37 nestboxes were installed on the lower structure of towers. So far all of them are usedby different bird species, mainly starlings and great tits but the bird hoopoe is expected as it present in the region (20 known pairs in Corynthia, out of 60-80 pairs in the country. In the vincinity, we could give a glance at the renaturalised oxbows created by the LIFE project ‘Gail’.
Nest patform for white stork
After a nest was of this large bird was discovered in 2015 on a tower, APG decided to build a well secured plateform. Unfortunately, the nest was used again this year. Under the same line a selective cutting management of the vegetation is perormed by APG.